Sorry, I know you've come here to share your awesome projects at the DIY Sunday Showcase Party and I'm M.I.A. I had to get out of Dodge for one last hurrah at the beach before the cool weather sets in.

We'll see you back here on September 6th!

CHEERS

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During one of our trips to the Habitat ReStore, I found this solid newel post caned back headboard tucked behind several others in a back room. Mr. Frugalista gave me that are you really sure you want this look because he could see we were going to have to work hard to pull it out.

Judging by the dust, most people either didn't see it or decided, like Mr. Frugalista, that it was too much work to get at. What I saw was how pretty it would look with a fresh coat of white paint and wouldn't leave until it had my name on it.

Another reason Mr. Frugalista gave me that funny look is because the vehicle we were driving that day was our Ford Taurus...a sedan.

He and the gentleman behind the cash looked at the headboard then at me then at the car and shook their heads.

I gave them both the "oh yeah, watch me" look and hiked that headboard under my arm and marched straight outside towards the car. I'm 5'3" so imagine this thing practically being dragged across the parking lot.

Back seats pulled down and a little head scratching later, that headboard was in the trunk, albeit with half of it sticking out the back end. Nothing a little red flag and some bungee cords to hold the trunk down couldn't handle.

I didn't tell Mr. Frugalista but during the 15-minute drive home I was half expecting the headboard to land in the middle of the freeway - but we made it.

Never say never to a short, stubborn, fiery, middle-aged Leo.

Newel Post Cane Back Headboard Makeover

What an improvement after just one coat of white vanilla frosting chalk paint. I love how fresh the cane looks painted white.

I then added just a touch of Elegance, literally by Country Chic Paint.

Because the dark wood underneath had a glossy finish, I didn't distress the headboard to reveal the wood. Instead, I dirtied it up by applying dark wax to give it an aged appearance.

I'm pleased with how it turned out. Hopefully, I can find another headboard similar during one of my treasure hunts because I think it would make a beautiful day bed with a ruffle skirt and loads of pretty pillows.

...and should I find another large headboard like this one, thankfully that Ford Taurus was replaced with a vehicle that can easily haul furniture.

The client who commissioned me to paint this headboard also swooped up an Arabesque Stenciled Night Table that I recently finished to pair with the headboard for her guest room. I think the headboard and night stand compliment one another quite nicely.

As summer sadly comes to a close and before the Autumn chill fills the air, this girl is sneaking in one more beach vacation. So while we get this party started, I offer you a toast from the beautiful Okanagan Valley!

Let's have a party...

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I'm so excited to share this post with you guys today. For 15 years I've been patiently moaning and groaning about wanting new windows and replacing the glass in the front door sidelites. This house had triple panepain windows - we're talking six panes of glass per window people! Always such a joy dreaded event to clean. To top it off they were aluminum sliders and during our brutal Canadian winters, forget about getting any fresh air because those babies were frozen solid.

At long last my wish has come true and we got those New Windows and a Front Door - no more sliders! Instead we have vinyl crank outs with "real" triple pane glass. The basement windows are sliders but they actually open without Herculean effort. It's hard to tell in the picture but the wide reed sidelite glass has been replaced with Rain glass and the front door with a Cheyenne Chamber Top Plank style and factory painted in Slate - love it!

AFTER

Wish I would have taken close-up photos of our old windows. I only had 15 years for crying out loud!

BEFORE

I'm told by Mr. Frugalista that I'm no longer allowed to hang wreaths on the door. Excuse e moi? Thats like wearing a little black dress without the pearls...I don't think so!

BACK - BEFORE
Wondering what those swirly marks are on the siding above the basement windows? In his teenage years our son decided a great way to get rid of mosquitoes was to spray OFF onto the house!

BACK - AFTER

We had both the kitchen and bedroom windows enlarged and I love how they add symmetry to the back of the house. The piece de resistance is that I can lay on the bed now with an unobstructed view of our back yard. As for the bay window - I don't know how I lived without it all these years!
We have big plans for the interior finishing around both of these windows but more about that in a future post.

Now lets talk about that ugly mint green siding shall we...

The new windows make it look even worse. If we had the budget the siding would have been replaced with the windows. Unfortunately the reality is that we don't so we'll have to patiently count the sleeps until the Summer of 2015.

That gives us time to come up with an exterior renovation plan for our humble abode. Mr. Frugalista and I would love to be living on the Canadian West Coast. We both enjoy being near the water and living in landlocked Alberta is challenging killing our spirits - okay so I'm being over dramatic. Moving isn't going to happen anytime soon so we decided if we can't live on the coast then we'll bring the coast to us!
Inspired by homes we saw during a recent visit to Vancouver Island, we've come up with some ideas to incorporate coastal elements into the plan.

Being a visual person I needed to see our ideas in living color so I came up with a few design plans.

Design Plan Side View
To break up the large span of siding on each side of the house we are thinking about adding cedar shakes to the upper portion of the gables. The perspective in this picture is a little wonky but you can get a good idea of what we're thinking about doing. The color of the shakes in the picture are Slate to match the front door.

There are too many options available and I'm feeling overwhelmed with the possibilities. If this were a client's house I'd come up with a design board lickity split but because it's my own home I'm loosing all objectivity.

If it were your house which design plan would you choose?

What do you think about the addition of a round port hole window above the door?What do you think of adding stone above the door?

Do you have any other suggestions?

I would love to get your feedback so don't be shy! Any suggestions you can throw into the mix would be much appreciated.

Regular Series

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